Mates at Hen and Chicken Theatre Review
Written by Eleanor B for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Mates: A play by four mates about four mates making a play about four mates. Pretty straightforward.
Performed by Ciaran Duce, Joseph Ollman, Jack Staddon and Kieran Urquhart, this is a fourth-wall-breaking piece that begins by lifting the curtain on how a show comes together. They have the cast, the theatre, and even financial backing. All that’s missing is the actual play.
The show opens with a scene from Wolf Boys, Max’s (Joseph Ollman) big LA break TV show. Think Power Rangers, but with papier mâché wolf masks. It’s a brilliantly silly way to start the evening and gets a big laugh straight away. From there, we watch the four mates reunite for the first time in six years, each dressed in matching all-white outfits, an idea from Max to show neutrality and a clean slate as they attempt to create their play together.
As the group cycles through each member’s ideas, the show moves between thoughtful explorations of radical empathy and moments that feel closer to a fever dream, including a strange but quite funny representation of the voices inside your head. It’s inventive, unpredictable, and constantly shifting in tone.
There are moments of real edge-of-your-seat intensity as the characters unpack why they’ve not seen each other for so long. As tensions rise, we begin to see JJ (Kieran Urquhart) crack, revealing that he may not be the glue holding the group together in the way he believed he was. These moments are balanced with plenty of unexpected laugh-out-loud scenes, keeping the energy high and the audience fully engaged.
You can tell the cast are having genuine fun on stage, and that enthusiasm carries straight into the audience. The room is full of laughter, and there’s a great atmosphere as everyone leaves the theatre.
I went in not quite knowing what to expect, and left thoroughly enjoying myself.
Mates plays at the Hen and Chickens Theatre Pub until 31 January.
★★★★
